Residents are offering mixed reactions as roads are closed for the next three to four months for the construction of a roundabout to improve safety at Deep Lake Road and Depot Street in Antioch.
Construction for the roundabout began on Monday morning and is expected to last around 100 days, said the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT), which is overseeing the project.
Deep Lake Road between Route 173 and North Avenue, and Depot Street between Route 83 and Deep Lake Road, is closed to through traffic for the period.
Local traffic will still have access on Deep Lake Road and on Depot Street, but the construction area near the intersection will be closed to all traffic.
Drivers can detour by taking Route 173 to Route 83/Main Street to North Avenue.
The Lake County Board approved the roundabout project in January.
“LC DOT has posted detour signs and routes directing motorists to Rt. 83 or Rt. 45 while Deep Lake is closed,” the Antioch Police Department said.
“For the safety of the construction crew and motorists, please adhere to all road closure signs, which is required by Illinois traffic law,” the police department added.
Transportation officials highlighted safety as their main goal with the project.
“Roundabouts improve safety and efficiency by keeping traffic moving at slower, more consistent speeds in one direction,” LCDOT said.
“Nationally, they are a proven safety measure, reducing crashes that result in serious injury or death by an average of 82%. More than 11,000 roundabouts have been installed across the United States, including 11 currently maintained by Lake County,” LCDOT added.
From 2014 to 2018, 11 crashes were reported at Deep Lake Road and Depot Street, with four of them resulting in injuries, according to LCDOT.
With the addition of the roundabout, transportation officials predicted a 36% reduction in crashes and a 51% reduction in more severe crashes resulting in injuries.
The roundabout would also improve traffic flow.
Another roundabout is planned further north at Deep Lake Road and North Avenue for a future construction season, LCDOT said.
The new roundabouts are part of a series of improvements that the county is making to Deep Lake Road over the next five years.
Over the past year, resurfacing projects have been conducted on Deep Lake Road between Route 132 and Route 173.
In November 2021, county officials began receiving public input and presented plans to modernize the Deep Lake Road corridor from Route 173 to the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
Two notable places affected by the construction site are Antioch Fire Department Station #2, located north of the intersection off Deep Lake Road, and Hillcrest Elementary School, located west of the intersection off Depot Street.
Antioch Fire Chief Ian Kazian told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that the fire district has been maintaining consistent communication with LCDOT since the project was approved.
Prior to the road closures, transportation officials made a northbound and southbound emergency access roadway around the construction zone to ensure emergency response out of the fire station remains uninterrupted.
“Additionally, the Fire District coordinated with our dispatch center, LakeComm, to establish a modified response area for the portion of Depot Road between Longview Drive and Deep Lake Road,” Kazian said.
“Under this plan, emergency calls within that area will automatically receive a response from both Fire Station #1 and Fire Station #2. This proactive measure is intended to minimize any impact the road closure may have on emergency response times and to ensure continued service to the residents affected by the project,” Kazian added.
Heavy traffic is expected during the weekdays on Depot Street for much of May as parents and school buses drive in and out of Hillcrest Elementary School.
Students do not start summer break until May 28, the school’s calendar says.
LCDOT said on Facebook that they considered school operations when timing the project.
“To ensure the project is completed before the start of the new school year, construction needs to begin soon,” LCDOT said.
“Unfortunately, because of the amount of time required to build the roundabout, the closure needed to be scheduled at the end of this school year,” LCDOT added.
A resident of the nearby Pine Hill Lakes subdivision told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that he did not know about the construction until a week prior, when a nearby business texted their customers about the road closures.
He hoped that transportation officials could have found a way to keep the intersection open during construction, adding that he now has to tack on an extra 10 minutes to drive places, like the nearby Walmart at Deep Lake Road and Route 173.
He said that while the roundabout will improve traffic flow, he remains concerned about whether other drivers know how to properly enter and exit a roundabout.
Despite his frustration with the construction, the resident remained optimistic about the safety and traffic improvements once the roundabout is built.
Other people were also concerned if drivers know how to safely and efficiently use roundabouts.
“Can the village also offer free classes to the public on how to properly use roundabouts,” a woman said on Facebook.
“This is a dumb spot for a roundabout,” another woman said.
“100 days is absurd,” a man said.
“A solution in search of a problem,” another man said.
“A traffic light would have been a hell of a lot cheaper, and LESS time,” a woman said.
County officials praised the project.
“Lake County continues to invest in roundabouts because they are proven to reduce serious crashes and keep traffic moving,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said.
“They are a key part of modernizing our transportation system to be safer, more efficient and better equipped for the future,” Hart added.
Linda Pedersen, the Lake County Board Member for District 1, which includes Antioch, said, “This project is one of many happening along Deep Lake Road. While it has taken time to reach this point, over a five-year period, the entire corridor will be modernized.”
“We appreciate residents’ patience as this work moves forward, and once complete, these improvements will provide long-term benefits for everyone traveling through Antioch, Lake Villa and the surrounding area,” Pedersen added.